Once Upon A Time
by Elhini Prime
Summary: A little boy can't sleep, his mother tells him a story. A story about a knight with two swords that flashed orange and blue, a King that was betrayed by one of his three sons, a Prince that wanted too much, another that just wanted his father, a young woman with strange glyphs told she would change the world...but is it just a story...or is it, was it, real?


**Just a One-Shot I came up with as a send off to Spring Break 2014. Whether this is real or not...well, I'll let you decide. See if you can figure out who the speakers are (and the characters in the story are) before the end! *don't worry, I put up a cast list at the end)  
**

**I do not own any of the **_**Tron**_** franchise, much as I want to. **

Once Upon A Time

"Tell me a story Mama," the little boy asked, sitting up in his bed, "Just one?"

His mother gave a sigh, brushing her long hair behind her ear.

"You've got to promise me that once I'm done, you'll go to sleep?" she asked.

The little boy nodded, his dark eyes wide as he settled onto his bed, his little head propped up on his elbows.

"Hmm…what shall I tell you tonight…" the mother hummed, her icy gaze looking over the boy's room.

It finally landed on a drawing of an elaborate landscape made of blue and black and silver that the boy's father had made and then a second one of a castle that the boy himself had drawn.

"Once upon a time…" the mother started and the boy groaned.

"Mooom!" he whined, "Don't start it _that_ way!"

"And why not?" the mother asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because it makes it sound _girly_," he shuddered, sticking out his tongue and making his mother laugh.

"Ah, alright…how's this?" she asked, "A long time ago…yet perhaps it wasn't such a very long time ago…"

"Much better!" the boy chirped and his mother shushed him.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" she growled playfully.

The boy's open mouth shut with an audible _clop_.

"Better," the mother laughed.

She settled down in her chair by the heater and closed her eyes.

"There was a kingdom called Thigred," she finally said, "It was ruled by a wise King who the people loved and respected dearly…

_The king had three sons: Samuel, Clem, and Andrew. Samuel had been the King's first wife, Queen Jordan's son, but she had died in a terrible accident when the child was only a baby, Clem and Andrew were the second Queen's sons, but she too died after Andrew's birth. _

_Clem, the eldest child, was quiet and resourceful. He was often found in the library, making sure that everything was in place and perfect for the King and the kingdom, and so he earned the title of Steward. Samuel, the middle child, had never been seen by the people, but the people knew that he was good as the young Prince had fought many times for the people and had been told that he would one day rule in his father's place, making him Heir Apparent. Andrew was the youngest. He loved the people just as much as Samuel did and he was often in the towns, interacting with the people and protecting them. He was second in command of the Royal Army._

"Who was the first, Mama?" the boy asked.

"Shh!" the mother said, "I'm getting there!"

She cleared her throat and began again.

_The King realized that he could not defend his kingdom by himself and so he looked far and wide for the most capable of soldiers…he found one. Sir Trevor of Monec…_

"Trevor, like Daddy's name!"

"Child, hush!"

"Sorry!"

_Sir Trevor agreed to come with the King, but only on the condition that he could bring his bride, the Lady Yaira with him to Thigred. The King agreed wholeheartedly and the three made their way back to the kingdom. Soon, the time came for the King to return to the palace, to his section where he and Samuel lived._

"Why couldn't Clem and Andrew live with them too?" the boy asked, quailing at the look his mother gave him, "Sorry!"

_The King and Samuel were different than the others in the Royal family. Both of them had special abilities that enabled them to rule. They both maintained the kingdom, keeping invaders out with a shield of brilliant light while also repairing sections of the kingdom with a wave of their hand. In other words…they had magic, and very powerful magic it was! And because of that magic, they could not stay in the other areas of the kingdom for long because the doors to the palace section where they lived closed every eight hours or so…and they could only be opened from the inside where the King and Crown Prince lived._

_One day, the King, Prince Clem, Prince Andrew, Lady Yaira, and Sir Trevor were watching over a new section of the city being built, when something caught the King's eye._

_People, thousands upon thousands of people were coming from the Sea, all of them shining with inner light much like the King himself did at times. The King was enthralled by the newcomers and welcomed them with open arms, naming them the Sea-Born. Sir Trevor, Prince Andrew, and Lady Yaira also were intrigued by these newcomers and started talking with them, asking them many questions about where they came from and why they were here, what their names were…but Prince Clem…Prince Clem distanced himself. He was afraid of these newcomers, they weren't like the others in his city, they were covered in elaborate glyphs and markings, not at all like the smooth lines that etched themselves along his skin under his robes. These people, unlike him or many others in the city, their clothes showed much of their marked skin whereas Clem's, Andrew's, Sir Trevor's, Lady Yaira and anyone else in the city, covered most of their bodies from their necks to their feet._

_Years passed and the King built great towers for the newcomers, creating homes for them…but not all of the city's citizens were happy with the newcomers. Some of them threw rocks and other things as one of the newcomers passed by, called them horrible names, refused to let them enter their stores and such…_

"Like what we learned in history!" the little boy piped up.

"Very much so," the mother nodded, "But this was even _worse_ than what your teachers tell you in school,"

The boy's dark eyes widened.

"No!" he whispered, shocked.

"Oh yes," the mother nodded.

_As the years wore on, the unrest grew. The King decided that to relieve the tension between the peoples, he would make two of the leaders of the newcomers co-Stewards along with Prince Clem. Needless to say, Prince Clem was not amused._

_The King chose Lady Daria and Lord Jason to be the candidates. But not long after, Lord Jason was killed in an accident during a tournament. And so Lady Daria was to co-lead with Prince Clem by herself._

_There was a big celebration for the newly made Stewardess, but it was cut short by an attack by a bandit by the name of Abracon._

"That's a weird name," the boy snorted.

"It wasn't his real name, child," the mother replied, "Because, Abracon was actually Lord Jason,"

"WHAT!?" the boy shouted, "How!?"

"Prince Clem found a lot more in the palace library than just books on how to run a kingdom," his mother replied mysteriously, "He found books…on _magic_. Dark magic, _evil_ magic. He transformed the poor Jason into the mindless creature called Abracon, wiping his memory and giving him the power to transform others or to kill them with a single touch,"

"That's horrible!" the boy screeched.

"Prince Clem was not exactly the best of people," the mother told him, "He was a very cold person if you knew him well enough…like Lady Yaira did. But no one listened to her,"

"What happened next?" the boy asked, hushed.

_Abracon stalked towards Lady Daria and Prince Clem, but all of a sudden a sword stopped the monster, the blued blade slamming down on top of the yellowed one of Abracon. It was Prince Andrew! He had been watching for trouble and had seen the monster come in. He was determined not to let the monster hurt his brother or the Lady Daria. They dueled and Prince Andrew caused a chip of Abracon's sword to break off. Abracon fled, swearing revenge on the young Prince. Sir Trevor and the King himself both came up to make sure everyone was alright, and Sir Trevor decided that it would be best if the King would get to the safe part of his palace, where Prince Samuel waited patiently for his father. The King agreed, but ordered Prince Andrew to keep a lookout for Abracon, making sure that no one else was infected with the spell. Prince Andrew agreed and they all parted ways._

_However…the day was not yet over. Prince Clem was furious that his brother had interfered. But it was not a problem…all it meant was that the time had come._

_He stood in the middle of the square right as the King and Sir Trevor walked by. _

"_Father!" called the Prince._

_And the King froze, looking at his son. _

"_Am I still to create the perfect kingdom?" asked the Prince._

_The King frowned, confused._

"_Yes…?" started the King._

_Prince Clem gave a slow smile and backed off, shutting the visor of his helmet as four darkly armored knights stepped away from their corners, surrounding the Captain of the Guard and the King._

_Sir Trevor shouted for the King to go, to run back to the palace as quickly as his feet could take him. And Sir Trevor engaged the knights alone, his sword blazing with vibrant blue light. The first one came at the Captain, Sir Trevor smacked his sword away before ramming his own under the guard's chin, killing him instantly. The second came at Sir Trevor, the Captain grabbed his sword, elbowing the guard in the face before slashing at him, killing him with his own sword as it still throbbed with orange light in Sir Trevor's hand. The Captain of the Guard looked down at his hands…how was this possible? A dead knight's sword blinked off when they died…but this one was still live!_

_Sir Trevor decided it didn't matter and he settled into a fighting stance, raising the blades with skilled ease, daring the others to come at him._

_He ducked underneath their swords and killed one before disarming the other and killing him too. Sir Trevor looked back and saw the King scooting backwards as Prince Clem advanced._

_The faithful Knight ran forwards and tackled Prince Clem, one he saw as a brother, a friend. He wouldn't let him hurt the King._

"_Your majesty! GO!" yelled Sir Trevor, hitting the Prince hard in the face as the King scrambled up to his feet, running as fast as he could._

_Prince Clem got up and grabbed Sir Trevor's arm and flipped him over on his back, Sir Trevor hit the ground hard, looking up just in time to see the Prince raising his Sword._

"_Goodbye, _Sir Trevor_," snarled Prince Clem, "See where fighting for the King got you now,"_

_He plunged downwards and the knight screamed as the sword raked down his body, leaving scars that would never heal._

_A scream of 'No!' caught Prince Clem's attention and he turned around just to see Prince Andrew running towards him._

"_Clem! What have you done?!" cried the youngest Prince._

"_What I was supposed to do a long time ago," growled the elder Prince, unsheathing his sword and slashing at his brother._

_Prince Andrew fell back, clutching at his throat. It was then that he discovered that Prince Clem had taken his voice. No longer would Prince Andrew be able to talk to his friends, to his family. Prince Andrew ran, fleeing the city, thinking that both his Captain and his father were dead._

_Lady Yaira had heard the news that her beloved Sir Trever was dead and she had locked herself into her chambers, never coming out, hardly eating, the most anyone had heard from her was her sobs for her love that was lost forever._

_Meanwhile, the palace doors closed and Prince Samuel waited for his father…but he never came. The King hid out in the desert surrounding the kingdom, trying to fight back but failing. He watched as his miracle, the Sea-Born, all of them perished…except one._

_Prince Andrew found her hiding in one last remaining tower that Prince Clem had not found yet. Her name, was Cora. She was about Prince Samuel's age, but she had Prince Andrew's fire and determination. Prince Andrew found himself fascinated by her, but he could not tell her what he truly felt. He couldn't tell anyone since Prince Clem took his voice._

_They wandered together, trying to find someone to help stop the genocide that was taking place. They found the Lady Daria, hiding in one of the cities on the farthest reaches of the kingdom._

_Lady Daria saw the two and informed them that the King was not dead after all, but instead was very much alive._

_And so, Cora and Prince Andrew went searching for the King, deciding to split up to find him. It too many months of searching before they finally met up again in the same city where Lady Daria had met with them. They wanted an audience with the Lady but Prince Clem seemed to want the same idea. He strode in the city with his Black Guard and spoke with Lady Daria. But the Lady would not give him the answers he wanted…and so he brought Abracon onto the scene. Lady Daria immediately recognized Abracon as Lord Jason, but even with her pleading, Abracon destroyed her._

_Cora was enraged at the sight of her leader's death and she followed Prince Clem back to his entourage while Abracon and Prince Andrew were left in the city. The two spotted each other and they fought…right as Prince Clem ordered the city destroyed on top of the two. Prince Andrew was buried in the rubble._

"But Mama!" the boy protested, "He _has_ to get out! He's _Prince Andrew_!"

"I know that," the mother said, "Just be quiet and you'll see!"

_Hours later, Prince Andrew awoke to a familiar sight. His father!_

_There was a great rejoicing as the father and son reunited, but it was short lived as many of Prince Clem's guards stormed past the area._

_The King gave Prince Andrew a new sword, something that would even the playing field with his older brother and the youngest Prince ran out of the cave, racing towards the edge of the cliff and leaping off…landing lightly on one of the carriages._

_He was soon brought to the usurper's base and saw Cora being held prisoner. Prince Clem was just about to kill her when Prince Andrew stepped up, knocking his brother's sword back. The brothers fought violently until, all of a sudden…the area shook violently and the two brothers watched as Abracon stalked forwards._

"_You stripped my future from me so now I will destroy yours!" howled the tormented creature…_

_And he threw himself into the unit that gave spell-powered creation life, destroying it in a fiery explosion._

_Prince Clem fled and Prince Andrew picked up the unconscious Cora, running as the explosions became more and more frequent…_

_And then he jumped off a ledge, landing on another carriage, but the carriage was unstable. It flipped over, sending Prince Andrew and Cora tumbling down the ravine while the carriage followed. Cora landed on top of Prince Andrew and the young Prince threw her off of him right as the carriage crashed down on top of him._

"NO!" the boy yelled, "Prince Andrew!"

"He fought bravely, little one," his mother tried to placate him, "He gave his life to save Cora…the one he loved,"

"But still!" the boy whined.

"Hush, or you won't hear what's coming next…"

"WAIT!" the boy interrupted, "What about Sir Trevor? And Prince Samuel?"

"Well, you're going to find out what exactly happened to Sir Trevor in just a few seconds,"

_Months and then years passed, Cora had been taken under the King's sheltering wing while Prince Samuel and a few of his advisors tried to work out what had happened to the King. But Prince Clem's power grew. Without his brothers and his father to balance him, Prince Clem's darkness spread across the kingdom, corrupting it instead of making it a better place to live._

_There was just _one_ thing standing in his way…_

"Sir Trevor!" the boy cried.

"Sir Trevor," his mother nodded.

_Prince Clem knew that Sir Trevor was a mighty warrior…and that he couldn't just kill him. No, someone like this deserved to go out fighting…unfortunately; there was no one in all of Thigred or in Monec that could stand against the knight. So that left one option…_

"What was that?" the boy demanded.

_Prince Clem cursed Sir Trevor, forcing him to forget everything he knew about his life except his fighting skill. Sir Trevor did not know who he was anymore…and so Prince Clem renamed the good Sir Trevor._

"What did he call him?" the boy breathed.

_They called him, Sir Rinus of the Two Blades. And he was the most dangerous, most ruthless, most feared knight that ever lived._

"NO!" the boy shouted, "NOT SIR TREVOR!"

"Yes, Sir Trevor," the mother said sadly, "There was no other choice for Clem, because, Sir Trevor had dispatched the best soldiers under Prince Clem's control. What better way to replace them?"

"It's not fair!"

"I know it's not fair," his mother nodded, "But the story's not finished yet…"

_Years and years passed and finally, Prince Samuel had had enough of waiting. He forced the doors that had kept him locked in the palace open and he went into the city…searching for his father._

_As soon as he set foot outside however, Prince Clem's guards grabbed him and threw him into the tournament where he fought valiantly…and eventually faced off against Rinus._

"No way!" the boy breathed, "Did he win?"

"Of course not," the mother scoffed, "Rinus _was_ Sir Trevor after all, the best warrior in all the land!"

"Yeah, but _Prince Samuel_ had _magic_!"

"The boy had never been to Thigred outside of his section of the palace where his powers were almost completely useless," his mother explained, "He had no idea he even had power until…ah, I'm getting ahead of myself,"

_Rinus had slashed the young Prince, sending the Prince's lifeblood running onto the floor. A memory resurfaced in the Black Knight's memory. A memory where he once saw that blood._

"_Prince,"_ _said Rinus, sheathing his blades and forcing the young Prince to his feet and making him walk towards the royal seat where Prince Clem waited._

_Prince Samuel was not amused as Rinus shoved him into the room. Prince Clem wasn't amused that his younger brother finally found his way here. Everything was going to plan…and Prince Samuel had to ruin it!_

_The younger Prince demanded to know where he was and who Prince Clem was. Prince Clem smirked behind his helmet before taking it off and revealing the same sandy blond hair and blue eyes that all four of the royal family possessed. Unlike Prince Samuel, the elder Prince looked almost exactly like the King. Just like Prince Andrew had before he died._

_Prince Samuel gasped, blinking as he took in his brother's face, believing it to be his father. To his dismay, Prince Clem revealed himself not to be Prince Samuel's father. Prince Samuel realized with shock that he was speaking to his elder brother, who he had not seen in many, _many_ years._

_Prince Clem ordered Rinus to take his brother below to the mounted combat area, laughing while Prince Samuel demanded to know where their father was and what his brother had done to him._

_The two brothers faced off against one another, both of them fighting for dominance. Well, perhaps Prince Samuel for survival and Prince Clem for the sheer satisfaction that soon enough he would be sole heir to the throne…but not while the Heir Apparent still lived._

_Suddenly, something shot between the warring brothers, taking Prince Samuel with it as it passed. Prince Clem ordered Rinus to follow, but the newcomer and the Crown Prince were gone._

_Prince Samuel looked at his rescuer for the first time and realized that it was a girl…but not just any girl. This was Cora, the young maiden that Prince Andrew had died saving. But Prince Samuel did not quite know that his younger brother was dead._

_The Prince peppered the girl with questions, but Cora replied that she would answer them later. _

_She brought them into the desert, finally reining in her steed and stopping, letting the Prince dismount. He turned around and helped the maiden off. She gave a nod and motioned for him to follow her. He followed her up a staircase to a living space where a man knelt in the middle of the room._

_Cora told the Prince to wait and she walked forwards to the man, telling him that they had a guest. The man turned around to face the Prince…and Prince Samuel saw his father, the King._

_The two embraced, sobbing happily in joy as they held one another again. The King explained everything to the Prince, why he never came home, Prince Clem's betrayal, Prince Andrew's death. _

_Although the Crown Prince was saddened by the news, he offered a solution. He offered that the three of them would go back to the palace before the doors closed again, they would take care of Prince Clem once they were there. But the King refused. If Prince Clem had gotten the King's sword, it was what they would call a checkmate. Prince Clem could get into the secret section of the palace and destroy it as he did with Thigred. That secret section was the only thing stopping him from being King. Because only one who resided there could rule over Thigred unquestioned._

"But…they have to get out _somehow_!" the boy protested, "They can't just stay there forever!"

"Just listen,"

_Prince Samuel did not like that idea. Neither did Cora. So, later that night, when the King was asleep, Cora gave Prince Samuel directions to a person in the city who could get the young Prince to the palace again to stop his brother. And so, Prince Samuel stole the fastest horse in his father's stable and raced back towards the city. Once there, the Prince gave the magnificent animal to a commoner in exchange for the cloak he wore to hide the Prince's robes. The commoner agreed wholeheartedly, but a few miles away, he was apprehended and the animal brought to Prince Clem, who released it…knowing it would lead him straight to his father's hideout._

_The King found out about his middle son's deception and ordered Cora to take him to where his son had gone. They quickly followed the path, barely avoiding Prince Clem, Sir Rinus and many others of the Black Guard as they went._

"WAIT!" the boy demanded, "How'd they escape not getting noticed!?"

"He's the King, and has Magic," the mother replied, "He could make them not be noticed or something like that,"

"Oh,"

_Meanwhile, Prince Samuel had made it to the tavern where the man Cora sent him to find reportedly lived. The man's name was Xanos, he helped many of the Sea-Born in the Great War between the People and the Sea-Born. Xanos was a very elusive person, very hard to find. Instead of him being there, a man named Castell ran the place. Prince Samuel went to Castell and told him he was looking for Xanos. Castell brought the young Prince to the back room and revealed himself to being Xanos himself. Xanos, after the Betrayal, had to remake himself, go by a different name so that Prince Clem would not come and destroy him. He agreed to help the Prince but…_

"But what!?" the boy demanded, "Mommy!"

She looked at him, closing an eye and clearing her throat. He slapped his hand to his face.

"Ooops," he apologized, "Please! What happened next?"

_It all turned out…to be a trick!_

"TRICK!? WHY WOULD HE TRICK HIM!?"

"Child…"

"Sorry!"

_Xanos had made a bargain with Prince Clem, half the city in exchange for the Prince, the King, or the King's sword. And Xanos had the Prince…_

_Black Guards swarmed the tavern and the Crown Prince unsheathed his sword, the blade blazing like a white star as he prepared to attack…suddenly, out of nowhere, Cora stepped into the fight! And together, Prince Samuel and Cora fought back, but Cora was badly injured in the fight. The Black Guards almost had her and Prince Samuel cornered…when everything stopped. Everyone in the room looked at the cloaked figure in the middle of the room with white hot power rippling away from him in waves._

_It was the King._

_Many of the people fell to their knees, others charged at the stunned Guards and took them down while Prince Samuel picked up Cora and the three escaped…but not before a Black Guard stole the King's sword._

_The King was angry with Prince Samuel because the young Prince lied to him and went out against orders, but with Prince Clem about to be in possession of the King's sword, they needed to hurry back to the palace and the doors were even at that moment beginning to shut ever so slowly. _

_They found a cargo caravan that was heading east towards the palace and the threesome stole away on it, tending to Cora's wound while the Prince and King had time to talk with each other about what life had been like while the King had been trapped outside the palace._

_The King looked back at Cora and noticed she was starting to wake up. He gave Prince Samuel a potion to give to the young Sea-Born once she did wake. Prince Samuel sat next to the girl and the two started talking to each other. _

_Cora recounted the story of how she had been rescued from Prince Clem's clutches by Prince Samuel's younger brother, Prince Andrew. She admitted that she missed the youngest Prince, and regretted not being able to understand what he had wanted to tell her since Prince Clem stole his voice away. She told him how after Prince Andrew had been killed, the King had found her and had taken her back to his hideaway to keep her safe. She lamented the loss of her people, the loss of her dearest friends. It was lonely being the last one._

_Prince Samuel spoke softly to her. He was starting to know what his brother felt when he met the Sea-Born child. And it seemed that the feeling was mutual. The King watched as the two started talking back and forth, eventually getting closer to each other. And he smiled._

_Suddenly, the rumble of a chariot or carriage came from the side. The King looked up just to see one of the rogue Prince's carriages go by. The King gave a shout and the Prince and the Sea-Born startled, both jumping to their feet and running towards him as they went deeper into the carriage._

_Cora noticed that the sides of the carrier were covered in thick black cloth, she gently pulled the cloth away and nearly screamed. For on the inside of the carriage…._

"What?" the boy breathed, "What was inside?!"

"A bunch of…people!" the mother replied, eyes wide in horror as the boy gave an 'eep' and hid under his covers.

"People!?" he asked, "But why?"

"You'll see," the mother replied mysteriously.

"_What is this place?"_ _asked Cora in horror as she jerked back and the carriage came to a stop._

"_Something that should _never_ have been here," replied the King as the trio snuck down the landing staircase. _

_Cora looked around the stair's railing…and her blood froze._

_Sir Rinus, the Enforcer of Thigred, stalked along the top of the carriage, tracking her and her King and her Prince. The young Sea-Born realized that Rinus would more than likely stop looking for the three of them if he caught one of them, so she took out her sword, handing the hilt to her King and said goodbye, running out of hiding._

_The Prince started, but his father held him back, telling him that it was what she wanted._

_Sir Rinus looked up right as Cora ran out of hiding. He ran along the top of the carriage, gracefully flipping off of the roof and down to the ground, his twin blades blazing fiery orange. His head snapped to the side as Cora kicked him, but he caught her ankle between the blades and flipped her over, kicking her to the ground._

"_Sir Trevor…!" breathed the King as he looked at the twin blades, "He is alive!"_

_As if he had heard him, Rinus' head snapped up and looked in the King and Prince's direction, but seeing nothing, the Enforcer picked up the Sea-Born and turned towards the area where he knew his master was._

_The King and Prince came out of their hiding place and snuck towards one of the upper decks of the facility, looking for a way out. The Prince noticed a very large chamber that had many people going into it normal, but coming out in full battle armor and with deadened looks upon their faces._

_He realized that Cora would end up like these people and it pained him to think it._

_Prince Clem had to be stopped._

_The King agreed wholeheartedly with his son, but there was no way for them to be able to stop Clem unless they had the King's sword. The Prince announced that he would get the sword _and_ Cora, all he needed his father to do was get something to get the three of them out of there._

_The King nodded and the young Prince ran towards the tower where they were taking Cora and where the sword was being kept. _

_Prince Samuel got to the top of the tower, sword blazing in his hand. He was ready for a fight…and the guards protecting the tower…well, they were ready to give one to him. But compared to the Prince's fighting skill and magic, they were no threat. He destroyed their defenses easily and retrieved his father's sword. He turned just to see Rinus and Cora come in._

_Sir Rinus unsheathed his swords while the King's sword blazed holy white in the young Prince's hand. Prince Samuel charged Sir Rinus and they fought, Sir Rinus raised a sword to black the young Prince, but Cora kicked him hard in the midsection, sending him tumbling down the stairs._

_Prince Samuel freed the young maiden and they both exited the tower, coming to a stop where the King was waiting next to a three person chariot. The horses stamped their feet in impatience, biting at the bit, eager to go. The Prince presented his father his sword and the King strapped it back to his waist where it belonged._

_He gave Cora the reins and the young Sea-Born cracked them, urging the horses onwards towards the palace._

_They might have gotten maybe a few miles from the facility when Prince Clem had found out that they had escaped. He, Sir Rinus and four other Black Guards gave chase to the escaping royals and their Miracle._

_Cora looked behind her, noticing the six chariots that trailed them. The King instructed the Prince to take up the bow in the back of the chariot and start shooting anything that came into range._

"How good a shot was he, Mama?" the boy asked.

"To put it safely…" the mother started, "He was very happy about getting that job,"

_The Prince shot out one of the Black Guards within a minute, Cora cut another one off by trailing the chains that were hidden in the back of the chariot, causing the enemy's wheels to tear up and catapulting the driver out of the seat. Prince Samuel shot down another chariot, causing it to veer off a cliff and into the river below._

_But even with the two's marksmanship, the last Guard was proving quite persistent. Cora urged the horses up a steep slope while the Guard followed. Suddenly, the Guard's horses slipped and he had to turn them around while Cora did the same, veering around and giving the reins to the King while she picked up a bow and shot down the driver._

_Suddenly, arrows rained down on the trio, making them duck down as Sir Rinus shot by, his horses leaping over the chariot and the fallen hero made eye contact with his king._

"_Trevor…" pleaded the King, "What have you become?"_

_The Knight's steely gaze never left the King's as he landed, coming up behind the chariot and aiming once again and then…_

"Then what?" the boy asked, "What happened?"

"Rinus _remembered_!" the mother replied, her eyes shining happily, "True, it was only three words, but he remembered that he was once Sir Trevor!"

"What did he remember!?"

"'_Your majesty! Go!'"_

_Rinus shook his head, trying to get back into focus, but Trevor's spirit was stirred from its long slumber…and the monster that was Rinus was starting to lose control…_

_Prince Clem came up behind his Knight and ordered him to take the shot, to finish the game…but Rinus pulled away, letting Prince Clem take the glory…_

_Or so everyone thought._

_Rinus however had come around the other side of Prince Clem._

"_I…fight…for the KING!" cried Sir Trevor in a final, desperate plea…_

_He leaped out of his chariot and he crashed into Prince Clem, pushing them both over the edge and giving the King and his family time to escape with his sacrifice._

The boy opened his mouth to protest but his mother put a hand over his mouth.

"I'll answer your questions later, just let me finish, we're almost done," she told him.

He pouted but he nodded anyway.

_The King, Prince Samuel, and Cora had made it to the palace steps, relieved that they had finally made it…when they saw Prince Clem standing in wait for them._

"HE SURVIVED!?" the boy demanded but he flinched under the annoyed look his mother was giving him.

"_I had a feeling thou would be here, Clem," said the King softly as he stepped forwards, facing his eldest son._

"_The years have not been kind to thee have they, father?" sneered Prince Clem._

"_Thou do not look _that_ horrible," said the King._

"_I did everything! Everything thou asketh of me!" cried the eldest Prince._

"_I know thou didst," replied the King._

"_I executed the plan!"_

"_As thou saw it," said the King sadly._

"_Thou…Thou promised," whispered Prince Clem, "Thou promised me that we would change the world together! Thou broke thy promise!"_

"_I know," murmured the King._

"_I took this kingdom to its maximum potential! I created the perfect kingdom!" screamed Clem._

"_The thing about perfection is that it is unknowable. It is impossible but it is right in front of us all the time!" replied the King, "Thou didst not know that because I did not know when I taught thee! And for that, Clem, I am truly sorry. I am sorry,"_

_The rogue Prince stopped, a mixture of emotions playing on his face as his father held out his arms._

_The Prince saw movement behind his father and saw his younger brother and the Sea-Born behind him…and whatever the Prince was going to do originally vanished. _

_And he kicked his father to the ground._

_Prince Samuel screamed and rushed forwards, hitting his elder brother as hard as he could, but Prince Clem caught his older brother and threw him towards the closing palace doors._

_The King looked at Cora and told her to go with Prince Samuel. The young Sea-Born nodded and she ran past Prince Clem, unsheathing her sword as she stood in front of the downed Prince Samuel._

"_CLEM!" cried the King, making the eldest Prince freeze, "Remember what thou came for,"_

_The eldest Prince put up his sword and stalked towards his father right as the silver stairs that led to the gates started to disappear, revealing a swirling vortex of water and fog below._

_Prince Clem walked over to the King and kicked him in the face._

"_Father!" screamed the Heir Apparent as Prince Clem ripped the sword from the sheath._

"_Thou knew I would beat thee," sneered the Prince, "And still thou did all this? For _him_?"_

_He looked at the sword, immediately noticing that it was too small…too delicate for a King's sword. His eyes widened and he looked at the massive broadsword the Sea-Born was now handing to the middle brother._

"_No…" breathed Prince Clem, "Why?"_

"_Because he's my son!" cried the King, "My Heir!"_

_Prince Clem rammed the blade into the marble floor next to the King's head and ran towards the rapidly disappearing stairs._

"_GO!" roared the King._

"_Father!" cried Prince Samuel as Cora tried herding him towards the doors._

"_Samuel! It is time!"_

"_NO!" _

"_Prince Samuel," murmured Cora, "It is what he wants," _

"_I am not leaving thee!" sobbed the middle Prince. _

"_Take her!" cried the King._

_Cora gave him the sword and the Prince took it._

"_Aye!" crowed the King encouragingly. _

_The Prince raised the sword, thrusting it into the air. Pure, white light blazed from the blade, twisting through the air and creating the curtain between the rest of the castle to the King and the Heir Apparent's side._

_Suddenly, Prince Clem pulled himself onto the platform, standing upright, and lunging at the Prince and the Sea-Born._

_The King realized then what he would have to do._

"What, Mama?" the boy asked, "What would he have to do?"

"A very powerful spell," the mother replied, "It would save Prince Samuel and Cora by pulling Prince Clem away and…"

"And what?"

"And combining his lifeforce with that of the King…neither would survive,"

"No!" the boy breathed, shocked and the mother nodded.

_The King fell to his knees, a shockwave of white flowing away from him and slamming into Prince Clem, pulling him away from Prince Samuel and Cora and towards his father._

_The King turned his gaze one last time towards his sons._

"_Goodbye, my sons," whispered the King right as Prince Clem's lifeforce collided with his…and a great explosion rocked the world. The end._

"But…but it can't end like that!" the boy protested as his mother finished the tale, "What about Sir Trevor? Did he throw off the curse?! What about Lady Yaira?"

"Oh, Lady Yaira found Sir Trevor alright," the mother nodded, "She broke the curse on him by kissing him,"

"Yuck!" the boy groaned.

"Well, it's true," the mother huffed, "He remembered that he wasn't Rinus, that he was Trevor instead,"

"What happened to them?" the boy asked, eyes wide, "Did they go back to the city?"

"Oh they tried," the mother replied, "The people saw Sir Trevor and immediately thought he was Sir Rinus, they tried to kill him so they fled. Prince Samuel, now King Samuel found them and took them home with him and the newly made Queen Cora. Sir Trevor and Lady Yaira settled down so that they would not have to fight anymore and they had a son. They named him Beckett,"

"That sounds like my name!" the boy beamed.

"Yes but he wasn't as cute as you," the mother teased, tapping her son on the nose.

The boy grinned right as a shadow appeared in the doorway.

"Nor as big a troublemaker," a low, growling voice added.

"DADDY!"

"Oh, don't mind me," the boy's father smiled softly, "I'm just listening,"

"Now, child, you promised me you'd go to sleep," his mother chastised.

"But _Mooom_!"

"Little one…you go to sleep right _now_," the mother growled.

"…Fine…" the boy pouted, grabbing his teddy bear and flopping down on his side.

His father gave a slight chuckle, his steel blue gaze gleaming softly as the boy's mother came to his side.

"Good evening, Mr. Bradley," she smiled.

"And to you, Mrs. Bradley," he answered, kissing the top of her head.

She hummed, taking in the ENCOM security guard's outfit on her husband's tall, lithe, well-toned form.

"You got the job I see," she smiled.

He nodded.

"I did, big surprise," he said, rolling his eyes, "According to Sam, I was a 'shoo in' for the job. I have him and Ala…father…to thank,"

"They've been nothing but good to us,"

"True. Eight years we've been in this world and it never ceases to amaze me," the father hummed, rubbing his wife's back as he watched their son sleep, "I heard the story you told him,"

"He'll never know it's more than a story," she sighed.

"Maybe one day," he answered, "Maybe one day we'll take him home,"

"This is his home now,"

"Maybe," he shrugged, "But he's part of the System, just as you are, just as I am,"

He looked at the drawings on the walls, looking at the blue and white lines on blackened landscapes…seeing the sharp mountain ranges that he used to know.

"She calls to him," the father finally said as he and his wife turned away, walking to his room.

"She calls to you too," the mother replied as they both got ready for bed.

The father took off his shirt and settled into the bed next to his wife, his steely blue eyes watching her carefully.

"Don't lie to me," she said, poking him in the chest, "I see the way you space out sometimes, how your hand reaches back behind your shoulders when you're startled. She wants her Monitor, her Champion back,"

"I am not the Champion…not anymore," he answered, laying down onto the pillow, "I can never be that again. Not after what I did. Besides…I'm perfectly happy here,"

She gave a soft smile, tracing the four tiny white squares on her husband's chest, making them turn the faintest violet. A low, rumbling, broken purr emitted from the man's chest, making his cheeks flare red as he worked to get around the purr.

"Stop," he purred softly, but he didn't really mean it.

"You still purr, after all these years," she hummed, running her fingers over the other white circles and dashes that dotted her husband's lean, tanned form, turning them faint shades of violet as well.

He gave another purring rumble, trying to get her to stop but still not wanting her to.

"I know," she sighed, "But you should see him…how the other children tease him because he's different. He spooks easily and he accidently broke a child's nose because the boy snuck up on him,"

"He has a fighter's instinct,"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he would have ended up a monitor like you," she said, "He's got the ability,"

Silence.

"He will not be going to the Grid…unless something happens, Yori," he finally said.

"I pray you're right, Tron," Yori murmured, huddling closer into Tron's broad chest, "For Beck's sake,"

**So I had this idea come to me when I saw this picture on DA: d6v5ilw (Just take out the spaces) It kept bugging me and bugging me until I finally got it written down. I wanted to have someone tell this story to like a little kid, but I didn't want it to be Quorra, seeing as I've already done something with her being the Mom. As for those two getting out of the Grid and starting a life in our world (Yes, that ****_is_**** Beck from ****_Tron: Uprising_****, *we'll just say that ****_Uprising_**** never happened or that it hasn't happened ****_yet_****…making Clu still alive and Flynn alive as well just have the show post-Legacy like some people I know still insist it is, which we for the most part all agree ****_Uprising_**** is pre-Legacy* I saw something where he is Tron's son and I thought it was cute)…well, I'll leave that to you all and your imaginations.**

_**Cast**_

_**Boy/Beckett-Beck**_

_**Mother/Lady Yaira-Yori**_

_**The King- Kevin Flynn**_

_**Prince/King Samuel-Sam Flynn**_

_**Prince Clem- Clu**_

_**Prince Andrew- Anon**_

_**Lady Daria-Radia**_

_**Lord Jason/Abracon-Jalen/Abraxas**_

_**Cora/Queen Cora-Quorra**_

_**Castell/Xenos-Castor/Zuse**_

_**Sir Trevor/Sir Rinus/Father- Tron**_

**Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)**

**Máriessë ar mára tecië**

**Farewell and fair writing**

**Elhini Prime signing off.**


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